Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

95 reviews

theskyboi's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Physical abuse, Incest, Drug abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Child abuse, and Child death

scgonano's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I’ve recently new diagnosed with PTSD and have found this book to be extremely informative. Whilst I’m not a psychologist, my bachelor’s degree did include a couple of introductory psychology courses. Whilst this prior study may have supported my understanding and following of some particular chapters, I still think that’s this book is widely accessible to people without prior knowledge of psychology. 
Following my diagnosis, I’ve had to wait a few months to engage with therapy services. My n the meantime, reading this book has supported my understanding of PTSD, how it affects me (both physically and mentally), and educated me about approaches to therapy. Knowing how the different therapy approaches work and what is happening in the body/brain has prompted me to seek some other (somewhat more accessible) approaches e.g., yoga, music, meditation; while I’ve waited for access to ongoing psychology therapy. 
There’s a bunch of resources and recommended reading, neatly summarised in the appendix. These are separate from the reference list and are accessible to the public (whether you’re learning about your diagnosis, supporting someone with this diagnosis, or just interested). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, War, Sexual violence, and Incest

The aforementioned content warnings are only included as precautions. They are not explicitly investigated or detailed. However they are included to educate about the causes and repercussions of PTSD.

studeronomy's review

informative medium-paced

3.25

As Charles Darwin wrote in his notebook, "The mind is a function of body." And, as this book convincingly shows, the body keeps a vicious tally of the wounds inflicted on the mind. These physical tallies are most easy to detect in people who suffer from PTSD and its adjacent disorders, but the implications of this book is that all our bodies carry the suffering our spirits have endured in ways that are tangible and quantifiable.

I know "The Body Keeps the Score" has its detractors and, because Bessel van der Kolk wrote it for a popular audience, he necessarily simplified some otherwise complex studies and truncated some otherwise complex research conclusions. But van der Kolk's observations over a fifty-year career demonstrate a couple things to me:

First, the field of psychiatry is (or was, until recently) hopelessly siloed. Psychopharmacologists aren't talking to neuroscientists aren't talking cognitive scientists aren't talking to social workers and therapists. Communication between disciplines and subdisciplines is very poor. And this doesn't begin to address the different methods of treating trauma that van der Kolk describes, most of which developed in disparate subdisciplines without much coordination with other subdisciplines. The whole organization of psychiatry (like the organization of most fields of study) is very messy.

Second, psychiatry still lacks its "germ theory," an explanation for the prevalence and cause of most mental illnesses and mood disorders. And such a theory might be impossible, given the nature of the mind itself. As Darwin also wrote in his notebook, "Experience shows the problem of the mind cannot be solved by attacking the citadel itself." An attack on the "citadel" of the mind cannot be a direct attack. There may be no unifying theory of the varied experiences we associate with "mind," "brain," "cognition," "the soul," whatever. And certainly no single field or discipline or method will unlock the mysteries of those experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, War, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

genevieveevelyn13's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

A very intense book of stories that help explain the complexities of PTSD and how your body interacts with a broken  nervous system. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Suicide, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

stephaniemeyers's review

dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

If you’re looking to learn a lot of trauma and therapy, this is a great book. It can be pretty upsetting though, given that most chapters feature 1-2 case stories about horrifyingly traumatic events. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Car accident, Death of parent, Incest, Abandonment, Torture, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Self harm

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, War, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Rape, Classism, Alcohol, Addiction, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Self harm, Infidelity, Bullying, Body shaming, Blood, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Animal death, Gore, Car accident, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Confinement, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Chronic illness, Child death, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Trafficking, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ansmbc's review

challenging emotional informative tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Child abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Incest

fraeyalise's review

I could not get through the first chapter - it is too hard for me to read about other's trauma, especially about horrors like the Vietnam war, especially after having a child of my own. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and War

mx_flint's review

Very triggering for people with trauma (me), too long winded and unnecessary, sympathises with rapists more than rape victims and the long and descriptive traumatic events were unnecessary and triggering. Do not reccomend it, thank god I didn't spend money on it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

akvolcano's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

Loved reading this book! Trauma is always spoken in the context of war veterans, but the intricacies are never fully connected. This book well develops the connection. It actually goes further by not separating citizen trauma from war trauma, but speaks of them on the same level. When I began this reading I was skeptical if there would be any new concepts or material. I am happy to say that there was in fact exploration in areas that have not been fed into mainstream media! As a survivor myself, I enjoy that throughout the book there is consistently stories of people being shared. I would like to read a book like this one that takes its central concepts and goes a bit further. Overall, excellent well researched and articulated book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Incest, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, and Violence